Pubs to serve wee-hours supporters

By Jason Dowling

June 11, 2010 — 3.00am

PUBS and clubs across Victoria have been granted early-morning liquor licences to stay open for World Cup matches and fans have been warned there will be extra police and public transport officers on duty to deal with unruly behaviour.

Fans who watch the games on Birrarung Marr's big screens will do so without alcohol, but Queen Street's Turf Bar has been granted a temporary liquor licence to open between 4am and 7am, and St Kilda's Elephant and Wheelbarrow can open between 3am and 7am.

Venues that have been granted extended licence conditions for the World Cup.

Twenty-one venues across the state have been granted temporary extended liquor licences for the World Cup including venues at Footscray, Springvale, Seaford, Tullamarine and Braybrook.

A spokeswoman for the director of liquor licensing said venues opening for World Cup matches must stop supplying alcohol at the end of the screening of matches and have an appropriate number of crowd controllers present.

Advertisement

Victoria police said there would be extra police in the CBD during World Cup matches. There would also be ''a uniformed presence on trains'', a police spokeswoman said.

''We will have extra authorised officers, both into the night … as well as slightly before first trains. That is in and around the key stations of Flinders Street and Richmond,'' he said.

Loading

He said Metro hoped people would behave responsibly at all times when catching public transport, ''regardless of if Australia have won or lost''.

Lord mayor Robert Doyle said: ''The World Cup is a critical event for Melbourne and therefore the extension of licences is warranted.'' But there should be no further extensions in the city, he said: ''At the moment we think the regime in the city is finely balanced.''